"There are very many positive things for businesses [in the federal tax reform bill]...but capping the SALT deductions will have a very negative effect on California businesses. Also, small businesses will be hurt because of pass through and limiting the deductions that they can make.

The one group of people who are actually going to do pretty well under this are accountants, because it's a lot to figure this out."

The Air Resources Board's new focus on anti-pollution design puts it in closer alignment with the city of Los Angeles, which has adopted stronger filtration requirements but has not imposed limits on how close homes can be built to freeways. That emphasis also drew praise from housing advocates and developers, who viewed the 2005 guidelines skeptically.

Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, said the air board's latest advisory "just shows that the original policy was unrealistic to begin with."